Take of the week: Duke will win its 18th national championship by spring season's end
With several top-ranked teams across a variety of men’s and women’s sports, several Blue Devil squads are poised to embark on potentially-championship-winning runs. The Chronicle discusses the possibility of an 18th Duke national championship in our latest Take of the week:
The last time the Blue Devils won a national championship in any sport, Old Town Road by Lil Nas X topped the music charts, Avengers: Endgame was dominating the box office and Zion Williamson was preparing to be selected first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA draft. It was May 2019, and Duke women’s golf had just defeated in-state rival Wake Forest 3-2 to take home the program’s seventh national title.
The school’s most recent championship before that? The iconic 2015 men’s basketball title led by Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and a breakout performance from freshman Grayson Allen off the bench.
With the number of premier programs in their respective sports that reside in Durham, it’s a surprise the Blue Devils have gone so long without taking home the most coveted piece of hardware in collegiate athletics.
The drought ends this year. Between the 10 teams at the school that compete in the spring, Duke will take home its 18th national championship by the time the season comes to an end.
There’s a chance it happens before spring sports even get into the postseason, as a number of Duke’s winter sports — in particular, the men’s and women’s basketball teams — sit near the top of the rankings and have a chance to come out on top at the end of the season. But if these teams can’t get the job done, the sheer amount of talent and star power clad in blue this spring will propel the Blue Devils to that elusive 18th title.
There are a few teams tied for the highest-ranked team entering the spring, but let's head to the diamond first. Coming off the program’s first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series, Duke softball enters 2025 ranked No. 7 in the D1Softball preseason poll. The Blue Devils, led by head coach Marissa Young, will likely make a push towards Oklahoma City once again, and they’ll be able to keep up with anyone if they get there. Juniors Aminah Vega and D’Auna Jennings both garnered Preseason All-American honors, and junior pitcher Cassidy Curd also joined them on the Preseason All-ACC list. This trio, along with a number of other returners and a strong team culture, are the reasons Duke is the ACC favorite heading into the season and might be the school’s best shot at title No. 18.
Also coming in at No. 7 in the preseason poll is Duke men’s lacrosse. Following a heartbreaking upset loss to Maryland in last year’s NCAA Quarterfinal, head coach John Danowski and his squad will be looking for redemption. Returners Andrew McAdorey, Aidan Maguire, Jack Gray and Benn Johnston all picked up mentions on the USA Lacrosse Magazine preseason All-America team, as the Blue Devils head into the 2025 campaign with another stacked roster and high hopes for the program’s first national title since 2014 and fourth overall.
To round out the top-10 teams, Duke women’s tennis currently sits at seventh in the nation as well. The Blue Devils are 5-1 after falling to No. 5 Virginia Saturday, holding ranked victories over Pepperdine and South Carolina. Head coach Jamie Ashworth leads a talented squad including top players like senior Emma Jackson and sophomore transfer Eleana Yu. The loaded team is a strong contender for the program’s second national championship.
Staying on the court, the men’s tennis team is also a strong squad, currently ranked 11th in the country. The Blue Devils are undefeated through four matches, but the schedule looks to get more difficult once conference play rolls around. Look for junior Pedro Rodenas and transfers Sam Landau and Cooper Williams to lead the charge toward the title.
Finally, we turn to the newly-renovated Jack Coombs Field, where head coach Chris Pollard has cemented Duke baseball as an established program but where the big breakthrough to the College World Series has still yet to come. Behind top returning hitters like Ben Miller and AJ Gracia, another eye-popping transfer class and a loaded arm barn including two-way phenom Kyle Johnson, could this be the year the Blue Devils finally put it all together? Duke is ranked No. 11 and will face a gauntlet of an ACC schedule once again in 2025.
While the teams listed above are likely the best opportunities for the Blue Devils to capture a national title, there are other contenders as well. Both sides of the track and field team are filled with speed and talent once again, men’s golf is ranked in the preseason top-25, women’s golf continues to field a strong squad despite losing some key pieces from last season and the rowing team has reached the last five NCAA Championships.
It will be a remarkably busy athletics season on the Duke campus. By the time it is all said and done, one of these programs will stand alone as national champions. There is just too much talent and too many contending teams for the drought to go on much longer. So many Duke athletics teams have been “great, but not great enough” in recent years. That will change this spring.
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